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Anticipating The Deadman

So, you may have heard the news. If you haven’t and you’re reading these words, I’ve just spoiled it for you. It was reported online a couple of days ago that the one and only phenom The Undertaker appeared at a WWE house show, and is therefore certain to be at Monday Night Raw tonight (in about 25 minutes to be precise) – I haven’t been this excited for a show in a long time. I better make this quick, but when am I ever quick? When it comes to talking about wrestling… ladies, I can go all night.

This news has me both excited and curious. It throws up a lot of questions. Will he be returning with his usual gimmick or will he revert to the old American Bad-ass character? I hope he doesn’t, but you never know. Is this going to be his last match? The most pressing question is of course, who will The Deadman be facing this year? Well I’m pretty sure we will find that out tonight. There are so many different matches they could do with Taker, all of which I would love.

One candidate that comes to mind is CM Punk. They had some great battles for the title on Smackdown a few years back, and I think they could replicate that and more on the grandest stage, especially given Punks ascension to global fame and recognition. Then again, it seems that WWE is building towards a potential triple threat match between Punk, Rock and Cena, which would be great in my opinion. Either way, it seems that Punk isn’t going to be slipping out of the title picture just yet. Nonetheless, we all know how quickly plans can change in wrestling so you can never be sure.

Another potential opponent is Brock Lesnar. The feud these two had in 2002 was phenomonal. I actually rate that as being the best period for Taker during the whole motorcycle experiment. The hell in a cell match was a particular highlight. They told a very biting and personal story of a great rivalry. With Lesnar’s newly enhanced arrogance, and readily emphasized lack of respect for the business, Undertaker could be presented with the perfect opposite. This could be a match built on the newly ignited ashes of one of the most bitter rivarlies of Taker’s illustrious past. It could also tell a story which is very much about the present., given Lesnar’s vicious attack on Vince McMahon on RAW.

Last but not least on my wishlist is another past demon of Taker’s and that is The Rock. Obviously I know this is the one of them which is absolutely impossible, but I thought it was worth including anyway. It could be possible for next year’s Mania perhaps? I think again reigniting a feud which in this case dates back to the late 90s would make the perfect platform for something more. Perhaps in a years time, a Rock heel turn could provide the perfect fire for the perfect send-off for The Deadman. The two of them have history together, they are two pillars of the wrestling business, two legends, two icons. It could be a battle for ultimate supremacy, unlike almost any other. But it certainly won’t be this year.

Besides the two realistic possibilities I mentioned, I don’t see a lot of other options. Orton, Henry and Kane have all been done at Wrestlemania. I don’t see many others on the roster who I think could step up at this point to a match like this. If Chris Jericho were to turn heel, they could maybe strike up something good, but besides that I don’t know what else they should do. For me, The Undertaker should come back to defend the honour of Vince, the company and the whole business against the brash, but unstoppable upstart Brock Lesnar. That would just set the card for Wrestlemania on fire.

So maybe my wish will come true. Maybe I know absolutely nothing and he is about to begin the road to Undertaker v Kane. It’s almost time to find out. Five minutes until show time. Anticipation is in the air. After last year’s End of an Era match with Triple H and the emotional embrace which concluded it, his arrival tonight is sure to send shivers down my spine, just as it did when I was eight years old watching Taker battle Stone Cold Steve Austin. The entrance, the streak, the legend. It’s all coming back again for one night, and the build for that night starts here. Who will be next up to challenge the streak?

2 thoughts on “Anticipating The Deadman”

Having just watched the opening segment of RAW, I can confirm that Lesnar will be facing Triple H at Mania. The two of them just had an amazing altercation which resulted in Brock bleeding heavily. Awesome stuff! That now means (or it would seem at least) that Brock, Punk and The Rock are now all occupied for the biggest show of the year. I can’t think who Taker is going to be facing, but I hope it’s someone good and I hope we find out tonight and I haven’t got all excited for nothing.

I really need to start posting blogs at the correct times, not ten minutes before the show. Or in my case 20 minutes after the start of the show.